Using Poetry to teach Business Studies By Chris Sivewright Published by: The Oxford School of Learning, 66 Sunderland Avenue, Oxford OX28DU Tel: 01865 512428 1 Contents Page Chapter One: 5 – 18 Chapter Two : 19 – 24 Chapter Three: 25 - 32 Chapter Four: 33 - 76 Chapter Five: 77 - 103 Appendices Appendix 1 : 104 - 108 Appendix II: 109 - 111 Appendix 3: 112 - 113 Appendix 4: 114 - 115 2 Introduction Can poetry be used to teach Business Studies? Are the skills transferable? The aim of this manual is to show how poetry can actually help students learn about business. Brief chapter descriptions follow: Chapter One This puts forward the idea that poetry and business actually complement each other rather than conflict. Readers are asked to create a poem from several business ideas. This is a theme throughout the manual – the emphasis is on readers to actually use the pages here to develop their own poetry skills. Please note: the poem ‘Advertising’ (page 10) is not copyright-free. The chapter concludes with three articles. One by Peter Sansom and the others from The Christian Science Monitor and BBC Online (adapted). Especial thanks are given to Peter Sansom for releasing copyright just for this manual. Please visit the Poetry Society website: http://www.poetrysociety.org.uk/places/pobiz.htm and the Poetry Business homepage: http://www.poetrybusiness.co.uk/ Chapter Two This chapter deals with the mechanics of writing poetry. A variety of terms are listed but it is left to the reader to establish the meaning of each term. A book reference is given. Several examples of poems written by pupils are included. Chapter Three: This chapter deals with the interpretation of poetry. It commences with an adaptation of Poetry For Dummies By The Poetry Centre, John Timpane. This is NOT copyright-free. Other approaches to interpretation are considered including the BBC AS Guru response. When writing a poem there are ten questions you can ask yourself. These are analysed here, together with more examples of pupils’ poetry. Chapter Four This chapter includes many examples of Business Poetry. Each page has a box for readers to write down how that poem may be applied to the Business Studies syllabus – or their work schedule. Another way would be for the pages to be given to pupils and their task is to identify areas of the syllabus to which the poem can be applied. This encourages pupils to think holistically about the syllabus rather than a series of separate components parts. The first one is done as an example. 3 Chapter five. This chapter is entirely source material that can be used as a basis for pupils to start writing poetry. Note: the articles Vipassana and Business Management and The Buddhist Way to Economic Stability are not free of copyright. Appendices Appendix 1 The first Appendix deals with ‘perplexed proverbs’ and includes the excellent guide written by David Ash. This Guide is not copyright-free. If you wish to reproduce it then please contact David Ash at [email protected] The examples given are copyright free, though, and may be distributed to the class. Appendix II The second appendix deals with the ‘haiku’. Readers are shown how to write a haiku and some examples are given. Appendix III This is simply a list of poetry collections that focus on work Appendix IV This final appendix outlines again the basic tools of a poet. The manual concludes with four key internet sites that will definitely help you write poetry. Comments about this manual should be addresses to the author: [email protected] 4 Chapter One: Business Studies and Poetry – making the case Business Studies and Poetry? Whatever next? Business people are all so cool, so rational. Not ones to make impulsive decisions. Not people to give vent to their creativity. Business is all about profit and loss; decision-trees; critical path; scientific decision-making…….poetry? Poetry is about….emotions, feelings, intuition…flights of fancy. Not the ‘bottom line’! But….look more carefully. There is an overlap… There are, in fact, poems about business. Poems about business range from the whimsical -- one Ogden Nash verse contemplating work begins I sit in an office at 244 Madison Avenue And say to myself You have a responsible job havenue? Why then do you fritter away your time on this doggerel? Ogden Nash is not the only person to write about business. Use the Internet (or go to the library!) and look up the works of: Carl Sandburg Look at Skyscraper, To Certain Journeymen and Working Girls. ( http://carl-sandburg.com/POEMS.htm). Samuel Taylor Coleridge Look at Work Without Hope (http://netpoets.com/classic/poems/016020.htm ) Frank Halliwell Look at The Customer. (http://frankhalliwell.tripod.com/frank3.html) Michael Benedikt Look at his prose poems that describe business life. (http://members.aol.com/benedit4/ ). Now consider the following from Tom Ehrenfield ("Poetry & Business"): "…….entrepreneurs, like poets, invent new ways to connect people, ideas, and organizations." Entrepreneurism is about risk-taking. Sometimes going according to a hunch, intuition. Ehrenfield makes the case that entrepreneurs and poets take the same intuitive leap, creating meaning where it didn't exist before - then communicate it to their audience. What is the common denominator? In both cases we start with an idea. Then this idea is developed and becomes a reality (albeit, often with some sort of outside funding). You start a business; a poet starts a poem. You nurture the business; the poem is redrafted. You expand the business; the poet writes more verses. You launch a new product; the poet writes a new poem. 5 Here are some business ideas. Try writing a short poem about each one…. 1. What use is the receipt in supermarkets? It could be used to give you further information – also this would stop you throwing it away…with your credit card details on. What information? The products are read in via bar code therefore nutritional information could be stated next to each product. Typically: fat, sodium and sugar quantities. 2. Waiting rooms in dentists and doctors and hospitals. Empty? Sad. Put advertisements on the walls. On the ceilings. Positive affirmations? (Sponsored) health food? Perhaps jokes? 3. The Lunchbox. A new healthy store which sells…lunchboxes. The b ox comes complete with nutrition information. Need an Atkins Lunchbox? 4. Graffiti tiring you? An eyesore? Replace the negativity by daubing the area with key details like key phone numbers, directions, and other information. Make the world your billboard. 5. Ever worn a plaster cast? It’s just a piece of white plaster on which your friends may write. That’s space that could be sold! Who would sponsor you? Maybe insurance companies? They could give you a transfer that if you wear it on the cast, you receive money for But what about existing businesses? How are they similar to poets? It is not uncommon for business leaders to write (or at least, read) poetry to help centre themselves as they meet business challenges. “I think you have to keep asking questions. There are an enormous number of people who have tried this, who have done this and failed or succeeded. But the most important thing is to keep the organization creative and powerful and brave. What is really difficult is running an organization that's mediocre. If you keep consistently on the edge of bravery, that's where your competitors will never follow you, and that's a very good marketing lesson if you ask me. The dilemma is that our whole language, not only around business but around our lives, is economic language, so you're measured on economic values. Even in relationships, people say, "How much have I invested in this relationship?" Take a look at the language of economics and how it has pervaded all our relationships. What we tried to do in The Body Shop was to bring metaphysical or philosophical language or the language of poetry happily into the business. It's like — was it Wittgenstein, the philosopher — who said "words create the world?" Source : Anita Roddick founder of Bodyshop In Business as Unusual , Anita Roddick And she talks about taking business education out of its narrow financial constraints and bringing in poetry and 6 philosophy. There is undoubtedly a growing movement to inspire greater creativity in organizational life by overcoming habitual fear and reticence of expressing oneself through nurturing a sense of "soul" within the office. We’re all ‘touchy-feely now’ some would say… How can you develop "Soul"? One way is to use poetry and story telling in order to express deeper emotions. Poetry enables you to explore new ways of looking at business and how it impinges on your life. By looking at business, say through the eyes of a Martian, we may develop new ways of approaching the eternal business problems of trying to make more profit with less effort. Here is an example of a product seen through a Martian’s eyes: Touch it gently and it's foot (or hand? or head?) scampers along the narrow road. In another situation, if you touch it the scampering may be round Stonehenge. In another one of these parallel worlds the mere nudge may cause it's hand to dance among the clouds. Describe it? Well, it can be round, spherical even, bright red and to the unpractised owner, difficult to control. (Answer : Logitech mouse…the one for a PC) Where can we find poetry in business? Mottoes Slogans Mission statements Here are the top ten advertising slogans "The ultimate driving machine."-BMW "When you got it, flaunt it."-Braniff Airlines "I'd walk a mile for a Camel."-Camel "M'm! M'm! Good!"-Campbell's Soup "Probably the best beer in the world."-Carlsberg "The Citi never sleeps."-Citibank "The antidote for civilization."-Club Med "When it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight."-Federal Express "No FT, no comment."-Financial Times "Capitalist tool."-Forbes "Say it with flowers"-FTD (Interflora) "When you care enough to send the very best"-Hallmark There is a new profession – that of the business poet.